Texas freeways seem to be designed by local civil engineers who have never been out of state. The off ramps are often on the left, both on and off ramps can connect with the access road and the access roads are either one-way or two-way and you can only tell by reading the signs. Driving here, until you learn the local patterns, is like driving in a foreign country.
Texans are friendly people, I have known many elsewhere and actually lived here for a year. I can honestly say I've known almost none I didn't like - that is amazing. On the other hand, if you want to become visit-each-others'-homes friends, as opposed to being merely pleasant and friendly, you'd better go to the same church the Texan attends as that is where s/he makes friends.
Dallas is an interesting place to teach a night class. Several colleges and universities have taken an old department store in the downtown area and converted it into an urban center which they share for offering off-campus, after-hours coursework to urban workers. It is the only building I've ever taught in that had working escalators. It also has guards to keep street punks out and a couple of the highest tech classrooms I've ever had the privilege to use.
In Texas WalMart is so dominant that if you live outside urban Dallas you virtually have to shop there. In fact it was here that we learned that "WalMartin'" is a word, used as "let's go WalMartin'." It is important to drop the final g when saying what should be "go WalMarting."
If you're like me you have a mental image of Texas being a place where good beef is readily available. Wrong. The year we lived here we tried several vendors and never got a piece of beef that was better than so-so. The best beef is in the mountain west, where it is taken for granted since many people eat primarily elk they have hunted.
Yes, folks hereabouts do like their Dr. Pepper soft drinks. And, yes, there are still stylish women with "big hair."
